A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains or may contain material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the photocopy reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure in exactly the form it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates in general to a gaming device, and more particularly to a gaming device having a bonus scheme wherein players may choose one or more indicators which either award bonus values or terminate the bonus round based on a mathematical calculation using a predetermined probability.
Gaming machines currently exist with bonus schemes in which the player has one or more opportunities to choose a particular selection or indicator from a group of indicators. An indicator may be any symbol or image such as a number, letter or graphical representation of a person, place or thing. When a player chooses an indicator, the game will either award the player with a bonus value or terminate the bonus round. The outcome depends upon the particular indicator selected by the player.
When the player selects an indicator which awards a bonus value (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9csuccess indicatorxe2x80x9d), the player receives one or more bonus values, and the player has another chance to select another indicator. Each time the player selects a success indicator, the game typically displays a message for the player such as xe2x80x9cNEXT.xe2x80x9d This message means that the bonus round continues and the player may choose another indicator. The player then selects another indicator, and this process continues until the player selects an indicator which terminates the bonus round (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cfailure indicatorxe2x80x9d).
When the player selects a failure indicator, typically the game displays a message for the player such as xe2x80x9cCOLLECT.xe2x80x9d This message means that the bonus round has terminated, and the player collects any bonus values the player accumulated.
Gaming machines with this type of bonus scheme are programmed so that in each bonus round certain indicators or a certain number of indicators are success indicators and certain indicators or a certain number of indicators are failure indicators. Consequently, the percentage of success indicators is predetermined and fixed. Therefore, when playing a bonus round, it is impossible for the player to select success indicators beyond the fixed percentage. Chance is only involved in the timing as to when the player chooses a failure indicatorxe2x80x94before or after achieving the fixed percentage of success indicators. With this limited level of chance involved in the bonus round, players enjoy a minimal level of excitement and enjoyment. European Patent Application No. EP 0 945 837 A2 filed on Mar. 18, 1999 and assigned on its face to WMS Gaming, Inc. discloses a bonus scheme generally of this type.
The present invention overcomes the above shortcomings by providing a gaming device which has a bonus scheme wherein each of the indicators has a certain probability of being a success indicator or a failure indicator. Similar to flipping a coin where the predetermined probability of being heads or tails is fifty percent, in the present invention there is a predetermined probability of each indicator being a success indicator or a failure indicator. Upon or prior to the selection of the indicator, the computer in the gaming device determines, based on that probability, if the indicator is a success indicator or a failure indicator. Preferably all of the indicators have the same probability although the indicators may have different probabilities. Game developers may program the bonus round with desired probabilities for success indicators and failure indicators, depending on the payout desired and the level of excitement desired. Accordingly, in any bonus round, all of the indicators may be success indicators.
The gaming device of the present invention includes a game, preferably a slot machine, involving various combinations of indicia. The indicia are in the form of symbols often appearing on mechanical reels or simulated rotating reels (i.e., video reels). A player pushes a button or other activator and thereby randomly generates different indicia combinations. The game is programmed so that certain combinations will automatically initiate a bonus round.
When a player achieves such a combination, the bonus round begins. The bonus round gives a player the opportunity to gain credits beyond the credits the player has gained in the primary game. The bonus round also gives a player additional excitement and a reward for having played the game for a relatively long period of time.
The bonus round begins by providing the player with at least one and preferably a plurality of indicators. The game determines, based on the predetermined probability for each indicator whether each indicator is a success or a failure indicator. The player chooses an indicator. The computer processor of the gaming device, displays a success indicator or a failure indicator. If the processor displays a failure indicator, the bonus round terminates. If the processor displays a success indicator, the game awards the player the bonus value displayed with or corresponding to the success indicator. The bonus value numerals may themselves be the success indicator. The amount of the bonus value for each success indicator may vary. After the player achieves a success indicator, the player receives the appropriate bonus values, and the game gives the player another chance to choose another indicator.
This process continues until the gaming device displays a failure indicator or until the player has chosen all of the indicators in the bonus round. In either case the bonus round terminates. Alternatively, if the player chooses all of the indicators and they are all success indicators, the game may award the player with an achievement bonus value, the bonus round may automatically repeat or the game may provide a different bonus round. Upon termination of the bonus round, the game accumulates all of the bonus credits which the player has won and awards them to the player.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the bonus scheme is placed in the context of a dodgeball game. The indicators are represented by a plurality of target characters. A separate character throws balls at the target characters or indicators. The player decides which target character will try to catch the ball. Each target character can catch the ball or be hit by the ball.
If the player chooses a target character who catches the ball (i.e., a failure indicator), the bonus round ends. If the player chooses a target character who is hit by the ball (i.e., a success indicator), the game awards the player with bonus values. The bonus round terminates when a target character catches a ball or after the ball hits all of the target characters in the bonus round.
In another embodiment, the gaming device provides the player with a plurality of indicators which function as selections. Also, the gaming device enables the player to advance to multiple rounds, wherein the player can choose additional selections. Preferably, each selection is associated with a predetermined probability of success and failure and with a bonus value. It is preferable that if a player reaches a success selection or outcome in a particular round, the gaming device reveals the values associated with all of the selections in that bonus round. Then the gaming device advances the player to another round where the player can choose another selection. The process preferably continues until the player reaches a failure selection or outcome, or until the player advances to all of the rounds, whichever comes first.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a gaming device having a bonus scheme with indicators or selections having a predetermined probability-based outcome.
Another object of the present invention to provide a gaming device having a bonus scheme wherein the percentage of success indicators or success outcomes is not predetermined and fixed.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a gaming device having a bonus scheme which provides players with an increased level of excitement arising from chance.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts, elements, components, steps and processes.